U.S. patent application number 14/716087 was filed with the patent office on 2016-11-24 for diy monitoring apparatus and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ecolink Intelligent Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael Lamb.
Application Number | 20160343239 14/716087 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57319773 |
Filed Date | 2016-11-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160343239 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lamb; Michael |
November 24, 2016 |
DIY MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a software application used on
mobile devices that enables professional monitoring services to DIY
monitoring systems that lack an ability to communicate with remote
monitoring facilities. In one embodiment, alert messages are
transmitted by a monitoring system gateway and received by a
personal communication device. The alert messages indicate
occurrences of events at a monitored premises. When the software
application determines that an incoming communication is an alert
message, an indication is provided to a user of the mobile device
that an event has occurred at the premises, and giving the user a
predetermined time period in which to respond to the indication. If
the user fails to respond to the indication within a predetermined
time period, a message is transmitted to a remote monitoring
facility, alerting the remote monitoring facility of the event.
Inventors: |
Lamb; Michael; (Rancho Santa
Fe, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ecolink Intelligent Technology, Inc. |
Carlsbad |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57319773 |
Appl. No.: |
14/716087 |
Filed: |
May 19, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B 25/016 20130101;
G08B 25/08 20130101; G08B 25/10 20130101; G08B 25/009 20130101;
G08B 25/001 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08B 25/10 20060101
G08B025/10; G08B 25/01 20060101 G08B025/01 |
Claims
1. A non-transient, processor-readable medium having program
instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor,
performs a method comprising: receiving an incoming communication
by a personal communication device via a communication interface;
determining, by a processor within the personal communication
device, that the incoming communication is an alert message from a
monitoring system; providing an indication to a user via a user
interface that an event has occurred at a premises monitored by the
monitoring system; determining that the user has failed to respond
to the indication within a predetermined time period; and
transmitting a message to a remote monitoring facility when the
user does not respond to the indication within the predetermined
time period.
2. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions for determining that the incoming communication is
an alert message comprise instructions for: comparing an
origination identification code in the incoming communication to a
monitoring system identification code stored in a memory within the
personal communication device; and determining that the incoming
communication comprises an alert message from the monitoring system
when the origination identification code in the incoming
communication matches the monitoring system identification
code.
3. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 2, wherein
the origination identification code comprises a standardized alarm
code.
4. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 2, wherein
the origination identification code comprises a phone number
associated with the monitoring system.
5. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions for sending a message to a remote monitoring
facility when the user does not respond to the indication within a
predetermined time period comprise instructions for: starting a
timer when the processor determines that an alert message has been
received from the home security gateway, the timer set to the
predetermined time period; and sending the message to the remote
monitoring facility when the timer expires and no response from the
user was received during the predetermined time period.
6. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the monitoring system is not capable of communicating with the
remote monitoring facility.
7. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the incoming communication comprises a standardized alarm code.
8. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, further
comprising: establishing voice communications with the remote
monitoring facility after transmitting the message.
9. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the message comprises a standardized alarm code.
10. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1,
wherein the message comprises an identification code that
identifies an origination of the alert message.
11. The non-transient, processor-readable medium of claim 1,
further comprising: providing the incoming communication to the
user via the user interface in accordance with a format of the
alert message.
12. A method, performed by a personal communication device,
comprising: receiving an incoming communication via a communication
interface; determining, by a processor within the personal
communication device, that the incoming communication is an alert
message from a monitoring system; providing an indication to a user
via a user interface that an event has occurred at a premises
monitored by the monitoring system; determining that the user has
failed to respond to the indication within a predetermined time
period; and transmitting a message to a remote monitoring facility
when the user does not respond to the indication within the
predetermined time period.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the instructions for
determining that the incoming communication is an alert message
comprise instructions for: comparing an origination identification
code in the incoming communication to a monitoring system
identification code stored in a memory within the personal
communication device; and determining that the incoming
communication comprises an alert message from the monitoring system
when the origination identification code in the incoming
communication matches the monitoring system identification
code.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the origination identification
code comprises a standardized alarm code.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the origination identification
code comprises a phone number associated with the monitoring
system.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructions for sending a
message to a remote monitoring facility when the user does not
respond to the indication within a predetermined time period
comprise instructions for: starting a timer when the processor
determines that an alert message has been received from the home
security gateway, the timer set to the predetermined time period;
and sending the message to the remote monitoring facility when the
timer expires and no response from the user was received during the
predetermined time period.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the monitoring system is not
capable of communicating with the remote monitoring facility.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the incoming communication
comprises a standardized alarm code.
19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: establishing voice
communications with the remote monitoring facility after
transmitting the message.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the message comprises a
standardized alarm code.
21. The method of claim 12, wherein the message comprises an
identification code that identifies an origination of the alert
message.
22. The method of claim 12, further comprising: providing the
incoming communication to the user via the user interface in
accordance with a format of the alert message.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] I. Field of Use
[0002] The present application relates to the field of monitoring
systems. More specifically, the present application relates to
providing professional monitoring services to do-it-yourself
monitoring systems that lack such functionality.
[0003] II. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Professionally monitored home security systems have been
around for many years and are quite popular. Typically, these
systems comprise a security panel in communication with one or more
sensors, such as doors/window sensors, tilt sensors, and motion
detectors. The sensors inform the security panel when a change of
state occurs in the sensors, indicative of a door or window being
opened, a garage door being opened, or motion detected within a
home. In response, the security panel may transmit a signal to a
remote monitoring facility, where live operators receive the signal
and decide whether or not to dispatch authorities.
[0005] In the professional home security market, security systems
are sold by nationally-known security companies and installed by
professional installers. Homeowners may choose to pay a monthly
monitoring fee so that when an unauthorized entry is detected, a
professionally-monitored remote facility is notified.
[0006] More recently, the home security industry has experienced a
revolution in its traditional business model. The widespread
availability of wireless sensors and ubiquitous Internet gateways
has created a large market for do-it-yourself (DIY) security
systems. These DIY systems are quick and easy for homeowners to
install, however, most systems are not capable of communicating
with traditional remote monitoring facilities. Rather, these
systems typically send an alert to a homeowner in the form of a
text message, email, or phone call. The advantage of this
arrangement is that homeowners can be notified when an unauthorized
intrusion has occurred when homeowners are away from home, and they
do not have to pay for monthly monitoring services.
[0007] On the other hand, many DIY homeowners would like the
comfort of knowing that a third party is monitoring the premises.
Although it is foreseeable that DIY security systems may soon be
capable of communicating with remote monitoring facilities, the
millions of consumers who have already purchased a DIY security
system would have no way to add monitoring services to their
existing systems if they so desired.
[0008] Thus, it would be desirable to provide monitoring services
to existing DIY security systems.
SUMMARY
[0009] The embodiments described herein relate to a software
application used on mobile devices that enables professional
monitoring services for do-it-yourself (DIY) monitoring systems
that lack an ability to communicate with remote monitoring
facilities. In one embodiment, a non-transient, processor-readable
medium is disclosed, having program instructions stored thereon,
which when executed by a processor, performs a method comprising
receiving an incoming communication by a personal communication
device via a communication interface, determining, by a processor
within the personal communication device, that the incoming
communication is an alert message from a monitoring system,
providing an indication to a user via a user interface that an
event has occurred at a premises monitored by the monitoring
system, determining that the user has failed to respond to the
indication within a predetermined time period, and transmitting a
message to a remote monitoring facility when the user does not
respond to the indication within the predetermined time period.
[0010] In another embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising
receiving an incoming communication by a personal communication
device via a communication interface, determining, by a processor
within the personal communication device, that the incoming
communication is an alert message from a monitoring system,
providing an indication to a user via a user interface that an
event has occurred at a premises monitored by the monitoring
system, determining that the user has failed to respond to the
indication within a predetermined time period, and transmitting a
message to a remote monitoring facility when the user does not
respond to the indication within the predetermined time period.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The features, advantages, and objects of the present
invention will become more apparent from the detailed description
as set forth below, when taken in conjunction with the drawings in
which like referenced characters identify correspondingly
throughout, and wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a DIY
monitoring system in accordance with the teachings herein;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of a
personal communication device used to provide professional
monitoring services to a DIY monitoring system that lacks a
capability of communicating with a remote monitoring facility;
and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for providing remote monitoring functionality to a DIY
monitoring system, carried out by a software application running on
the personal communication device shown in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] The present disclosure relates to a software application
used on mobile devices that enables professional monitoring
services to DIY monitoring systems that lack an ability to
communicate with remote monitoring facilities. The term "monitoring
systems" as used herein refer to home security systems, business
security systems, health monitoring systems, energy management
systems, hazard detection systems (such as smoke detectors, fire
detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, etc.), thermostats, or any
system or device for monitoring for an occurrence of an event or
condition, such as break-in, fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, health
problem, power outages, flooding, freezing, high electricity usage
(indicative of, for example, a pool pump turning on, an air
conditioner turning on, etc.) or some other event that may occur in
a residence or business. Although the embodiments discussed in the
present disclosure generally refer to such monitoring systems and
devices as security systems, it should be understood that these
other types of monitoring systems and devices could be used in the
alternative.
[0016] FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a DIY
monitoring system 100 in accordance with the teachings herein,
comprising gateway 102, sensors 104, personal communication device
106, a remote monitoring facility 108, wide-area network 110,
wireless network 112, and router/modem 114. The sensors 104 are
installed throughout premises 116 in order to detect "events" that
may occur at premises 116, such as a door or window being opened,
movement or sound within premises 116, the presence of smoke, fire,
or carbon monoxide, freezing, flooding, a light being turned on or
off, a medical emergency (such as a fall, an irregular heartbeat,
low blood sugar, etc.), or other occurrence or condition that might
be of interest to a home owner or other interested party. When one
of the sensors detects an event, a signal is transmitted to gateway
102 by the sensor that detected the change, where gateway 102, in
response, transmits an alert message to personal communication
device 106 over one or more wide-area networks 110 and/or wireless
network 112.
[0017] When personal communication device 106 receives the alert
message from gateway 102, an indication is generated and provided
to a user of personal communication device 106. The indication
alerts the user of the fact that one of the sensors 104 has
detected an event. The user may respond to the indication by
operating personal communication device 106 via a user interface,
such as a touchscreen device, one or more push-buttons, a
microphone, an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other motion-sensitive
device. For example, the indication from personal communication
device 106 may comprise a ringtone, vibration, light, text message,
phone call, or email message, or a combination of two or more of
these. In response, the user may simply acknowledge receipt of the
signal by touching the touchscreen device, pressing an icon on the
touchscreen device, pressing a button, speaking into a microphone,
or simply shaking personal communication device 106 in a predefined
manner understood.
[0018] The user is given a predetermined time period in which to
respond to any indication presented via personal communication
device 106, for example, five minutes. If the user responds to the
indication within this predetermined time period, personal
communication device 106 refrains from sending a message to remote
monitoring facility 108. Personal communication device 106 may
present one or more actions for selection by the user, such as to
view one or more still or video cameras within or on the monitored
premises, to activate one or more lights and/or sirens in or on the
monitored premises, to send a message to other members of premises
116 informing them of the alert, or some other action(s).
[0019] If the user fails to respond to the indication within the
predetermined time period, personal communication device 106 sends
a message to remote monitoring facility 108 in order for personnel
at remote monitoring facility 108 evaluate the message from
personal communication device 106. For example, based on the
information contained in the message, an employee located at remote
monitoring facility may choose to dispatch authorities to premises
116, such as an ambulance, police or fire department. In this way,
professional monitoring services can be added to a DIY monitoring
system that lacks the capability of contacting such remote
monitoring facilities. Another advantage of this concept is that it
reduces the occurrences of false alarms of monitoring system 100,
because it gives homeowners an opportunity to respond to alert
signals generated by the system and stop escalation of alarm
signals to remote monitoring facility 108.
[0020] The main functionality of the inventive concepts discussed
thus far reside in application software resident on personal
communication device 106. Personal communication device 106
comprises virtually any electronic computing device capable of
sending and receiving information over at least one wide-area
network 110. Examples of personal communication device 106 include
smartphones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants,
wearables, laptop computers, desktop computers, or other devices
capable of communicating, via wired or wireless means, with gateway
102 and remote monitoring facility 108. The application software
may be preloaded onto personal communication device 106, for
example, during provisioning by a service provider, or, more
typically, downloaded by a user from an online application software
"store", such as iTunes or Google Play. The application software is
stored in a memory within personal communication device 106 and
executed by a processor, also residing within personal
communication device 106.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of
personal communication device 106, showing processor 200, memory
202, user interface 204, and one or more transceivers 206. It
should be understood that the functional blocks shown in FIG. 2 may
be connected to one another in a variety of ways, and that not all
functional blocks necessary for operation of personal communication
device 106 are shown (such as a power supply), for purposes of
clarity.
[0022] Processor 200 is configured to provide general operation of
personal communication device 106 by executing processor-executable
instructions stored in memory 200, for example, executable code.
Processor 200 typically comprises one or more microprocessors,
microcontrollers, or custom ASICs that provide communications
functionality to personal communication device 106 as well as to
execute instructions that provide an ability for personal
communication device 106 to receive alerts from gateway 102,
provide indications of the alerts to a user, receive input from the
user in response to the indications, and contacting remote
monitoring facility 108 if the user does not respond to the
indication within a predetermined time period.
[0023] Memory 202 comprises one or more non-transient information
storage devices, otherwise referred to as one or more
processor-readable mediums, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, SD
memory, XD memory, or virtually any other type of electronic,
optical, or mechanical memory device. Memory 200 is used to store
the processor-executable instructions for general operation of
personal communication device 106 (for example, communication
functionality) and for receiving alerts from gateway 102, providing
indications of the alerts to a user, receiving input from the user
in response to the indications, and contacting remote monitoring
facility 108 if the user does not respond to the indication within
a predetermined time period. Information such as a predetermined
time period, contact information of remote monitoring facility 108,
identification information of monitoring system 100/gateway 102,
personal information of the user or other persons affiliated with
premises 116, such as names, email addresses, telephone numbers,
time/date information pertaining to received alarm signals, etc.,
can also be stored by memory 200.
[0024] User interface 204 is coupled to processor 200 and allows a
user to receive indications from processor 200 when alert messages
are received by personal communication device 106 from gateway 102
and to respond to such indications. User interface 200 may comprise
one or more pushbuttons, touchscreen devices, electronic display
devices, lights, LEDs, LDCs, biometric readers, switches, sensors,
keypads, microphones, speakers, and/or other human interface
devices that present indications to a user or generate electronic
signals for use by processor 200 upon initiation by a user. A very
popular user interface device today is a touchscreen device.
[0025] Transceiver 206 comprises circuitry necessary to transmit
and receive information to/from gateway 102 and remote monitoring
facility 108, either wirelessly or via wired means, such as one or
more of a cellular transceiver, a Wi-fi transceiver, a Bluetooth
transceiver, a cellular data transceiver, an Ethernet adapter, POTS
circuitry, AC powerline circuitry, ultrasonic circuitry, and/or
some other type of wireless or wired means for communications. In
some embodiments, more than one transceiver is present, for
example, a cellular transceiver and a Wi-Fi transceiver. Such
circuitry is generally well known in the art.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for providing remote monitoring functionality to a DIY
monitoring system, carried out by a software application running on
personal communication device 106. It should be understood that in
some embodiments, not all of the steps shown in FIG. 3 are
performed. It should also be understood that the order in which the
steps are carried out may be different in other embodiments.
[0027] At block 300, gateway 102 receives a signal from one of the
sensors 104 located throughout premises 116, indicating that an
event has occurred. The signal is typically transmitted wirelessly
from one of the sensors 104 and conforms to one of the common
communication protocols in use today, such as RF, Z-wave, Zigbee,
Wi-Fi, etc. The signal typically comprises information such as an
identity of the sensor that transmitted the signal, such as a
sensor type, sensor serial number, etc.
[0028] At block 302, gateway 102 transmits an alert message to
personal communication device 106 via router/modem 114 and
wide-area network 110 and/or wireless network 112 in response to
receiving the signal from one of the sensors 104. The alert message
comprises a phone call, email, text message, or some other
communication type, and is encoded into one or more protocols
suitable for transmission over one or more the networks. The alert
message comprises information alerting a user of personal
communication device 106 that an event has occurred at premises
116. The alert message is addressed to personal communication
device 106 by accessing a memory within gateway 102 where
addressing information pertaining to personal communication device
106 has been previously stored, such as a telephone number, IP
address, email address, URL, etc.
[0029] The alert message may comprise further information
pertaining to the event, such as an identification of the sensor
that detected the event, a sensor serial number, a "zone"
indicating which portion of premises 116 the event occurred, an
"event type" such as "break-in", "door opened", "window opened",
"motion sensed", "freezing detected", "flooding detected", "garage
door opened", "light turned on/off", "medical emergency", etc., as
determined by gateway 102 based on, for example, the type of sensor
104 sending the signal, a location of the sensor, etc. The alert
message may also comprise an origination identification code of the
alert message, for example an address of premises 116, an
identification code assigned to gateway 102, such as a serial
number, an account number associated with a homeowner or other
resident of premises 116, a phone number or email address assigned
to gateway 102 or system 100, or contact information of an owner or
resident of premises 116, for example a telephone number or email
address.
[0030] In another embodiment, the message comprises a standardized
"alarm code" used extensively by traditional security panels that
allow home monitoring by remote monitoring facilities, for example
SIA, Radionics, Tunstall, DC-09, Contact ID, SIA DC-03 or SIA 2000
alarm codes. In this embodiment, gateway 102 determines which alarm
code or codes to include in the alert message based on, for
example, the type of sensor that reported an event. Use of alarm
codes may allow processor 200 to easily identify incoming
communications as alarm messages sent by system 100/gateway 102.
Thus, one or more standardized alarm codes serve as the origination
identification code.
[0031] At block 304, personal communication device 106 receives the
alert message sent by gateway 102 via transceiver 306 and provides
the alert message to processor 200. However, processor 200 does not
know whether this incoming communication is an alert message
transmitted by gateway 102 until further processing is conducted,
as described in block 308 below. Thus, the alert message is
initially processed as a typical phone call, text message, email,
etc., as described in block 306.
[0032] At block 306, processor 200 provides the alert message to
the user in accordance with the form or type of the alert message,
using an application in accordance with the type of the alert
message. For example, if the alert message is in the form of a text
message, the alert message is displayed as a text messaging by a
text messaging application resident on personal communication
device 106. If the alert message is in the form of a voice call,
the alert message is provided to the user via a phone application
resident on personal communication device 106, i.e., a ring tone
and/or vibration is activated by processor 200, and the alert
message provided audibly to the user after the user responds to the
ring tone and/or vibration. If the alert message is in the form of
an email, the alert message is provided to the user via an email
application resident on personal communication device 106.
[0033] At block 308, processor 200 determines whether the incoming
communication at block 304 comprises an alert message by
determining whether one or more attributes of the incoming
communication match one or more predetermined attributes stored in
memory 202. For example, processor 200 may determine that an alert
message has been received when a text message is received having
originated from gateway 102. This may be determined by processor
200 evaluating incoming text messages and comparing an origination
identification code within each text message to a monitoring system
identification code stored in memory 202. The monitoring system
identification code is a code that uniquely identifies gateway 102
and/or monitoring system 100. The origination identification code
could comprise an IP address, telephone number, serial number, or
other code assigned to gateway 102 or system 100 and included with
each transmitted alert message by gateway 102 to uniquely identify
gateway 102 and/or system 100 and/or premises 116. The same
principle could be used to evaluate incoming email messages or
telephone calls. In the case of email, the origination
identification code could comprise an email address or IP address
assigned to gateway 102 or system 100. In the case of a phone call,
the origination identification code could comprise a telephone
number assigned to gateway 102 or system 100. When processor 200
determines that the incoming communication is an alert message,
processing continues to block 310.
[0034] At block 310, in response to determining that an alert
message has been received, processor 200 generates an indication
for presentation to a user of personal communication device 106 of
the alert message. This indication may be in alternative or in
addition to the phone, email, text, or other message presented to
the user in block 306. In another embodiment, the indication may be
appended to the phone, email, text or other message presented to
the user in block 306 after processor 200 has determined that the
incoming communication comprises an alert message.
[0035] The indication generally comprises a visual, audio, and/or
tactile alert to a user of the origination identification code,
indicating that an event has occurred at premises 116. In some
embodiments, the indication comprises a simple alert, such as an
illumination of a light, production of an audible tone(s), and/or
causing personal communication device 106 to vibrate. In other
embodiments, additional information is conveyed in the indication,
such as a visual or audible indication of the event type, an
identification of the sensor that detected the event, a sensor
serial number, a "zone" indicating which portion of premises 116
the event occurred, an address where the event occurred, and/or
contact information of one or more persons to call in case of any
event, or in particular events. For example, if the event is a
break-in, processor 102 may display a telephone number of a police
department nearby premises 116 as previously stored in, and
retrieved from, memory 202. In case of a fire, one or more names
and telephone numbers of neighbors could be displayed, again
previously stored in and retrieved from memory 202. The indication
may be presented by to the user differently than how the alert
message was initially presented to the user via a traditional
phone, text, or email application. For example, the software
application may display a pop-up message or other display
indicating that an alert message was received.
[0036] At block 312, the indication is provided from processor 200
to user interface 204.
[0037] At block 314, processor may provide an indication of a
remaining time in which a user has to respond to the indication
provided at block 306. For example, an analog or digital clock may
be displayed via user interface, counting down from a predetermined
time period, for example, five minutes, representing a remaining
amount of time a user has to respond to the indication. Whether
this "countdown" clock is displayed or not, a countdown timer may
be used by processor 200 to determine when expiration of the
predetermined time period has occurred. In one embodiment, the
indication described in block 310 comprises the countdown
clock.
[0038] At block 316, when a response is received by processor 200
from user interface 204 from a user responding to the indication
within the predetermined time period, personal communication device
106 refrains from sending a signal to remote monitoring facility
108, as described below, informing remote monitoring facility of
the event.
[0039] At block 318, processor 200 may perform one or more actions
based on the response from the user at block 316. In one
embodiment, processor 200 does nothing, for example, when the user
simply acknowledges the indication by operating personal
communication device 106 in a predetermined manner, such as
pressing an "OK" icon displayed on user interface 204, pressing a
key as part of user interface 204, shaking personal communication
device 106 in a predetermined manner, or some other way of
informing processor 200 that the user has received the indication
and wishes to perform no further action. In another embodiment, the
response from the user may indicate to processor 200 that the user
wishes to place a phone call, text message, or email to one or more
parties that may be interested in knowing about the event. In this
embodiment, processor 200 may display a list of one or more names,
icons, or other information identifying one or more people or
entities, such as police departments, fire departments, paramedics,
etc. The user may select one or all of the names, wherein processor
200 causes personal communication device 106 to send either a
predetermined message to the selected persons/entities via a
selected or default communication method (such as email, text, or
phone call), or sends a custom message to one or more
persons/entities as a result of receiving such a customized message
from the user via user interface 204, such as a text or voice input
from the user. Additionally, or in response, the indication may
request that additional information be provided to the user, such
as a request to provide still or video images of premises 116 via
one or more still or video cameras located in one or more locations
at premises 116. In this case, processor 200 receives the
indication and provide one or more still images and/or recorded or
live video streams from premises 116. This may occur as a result of
processor 200 sending a request to gateway 102 for gateway 102 to
provide such information, or it may occur as a result simply by
accessing one or more cameras directly through gateway 102 by
personal communication device 106. Similarly, an audio channel may
be established between personal communication device 106 and a
listening device sensor located at premises 116 for the user to
listen to sounds that may be or have occurred at premises 116.
[0040] When the user does not respond to the indication within the
predetermined time period, for example, when a countdown timer
expires, processor 200 generates a message for transmission to a
remote monitoring facility 108, informing remote monitoring
facility 108 of an occurrence of an event at premises 116, at block
320. The message may comprise information pertaining to the event,
such as an event type (such as "fire", "medical emergency", "carbon
monoxide", "break-in", "motion detector event", "door/window sensor
event", etc.) a location of premises 116, e.g., an address, contact
information (e.g., telephone number, email address, etc.) of one or
more persons associated with premises 116, such as an owner,
renter, resident family members, friends and/or family of the
aforementioned, etc., a time that the event occurred, information
pertaining to the particular sensor that triggered the event (e.g.,
sensor serial number, sensor type, etc.), zone information of where
the event was discovered, etc. In another embodiment, the message
comprises less information, for example an indication that an event
of some kind has occurred at premises 116 and an identification
code that identifies an origination of an alert message that
necessitated generation of the message, for example, an account
number associated with a homeowner or other interested party that
has pre-registered with remote monitoring facility, an
identification number associated with system 100 or gateway 102, a
telephone number of a homeowner or other interested party, an
address of premises 116, etc. In this embodiment, personnel at
remote monitoring facility 108 receives the message and matches the
identification information with account information pre-stored by
remote monitoring facility 108. The account information pre-stored
by remote monitoring facility 108 may then be used to contact a
homeowner or other interested party, provide an address where the
event has occurred, and/or other information useful to personnel at
remote monitoring facility 108 to respond to the message sent by
personal communication device 106.
[0041] In one embodiment, the message generated at block 320
comprises a standardized alarm code used extensively by traditional
security panels that allow home monitoring by remote monitoring
facilities, for example SIA, Radionics, Tunstall, DC-09, Contact
ID, SIA DC-03 or SIA 2000 alarm codes. A table of such alarm codes
may be stored in memory 202 and processor 200 may determine which
alarm code to include in the message to remote monitoring facility
108. Processor 200 may evaluate incoming communications to
determine if they indicate "fire", "smoke", "door/window sensor",
"medical emergency", "motion", or some other event or condition
occurring at premises 116 and attempt to match the event or
condition to a best-fit match to one or more of the alarm codes
stored in memory 202. In one embodiment, the message from gateway
102 comprises a standardized alarm code. In this case, processor
200 may simply include any alarm codes from incoming messages with
outgoing messages, or it may map the alarm codes from incoming
messages to a set of alarm codes stored in memory 202 and use one
or more matched codes from memory 202 in the outgoing message. In
one embodiment, more than one set of alarm codes are stored in
memory 202. In this case, processor 200 may choose which set of
alarm codes to use depending on an identification of a selected
remote monitoring facility by a user of personal communication
device 106.
[0042] In any case, processor 200 may generate the message by
retrieving the aforementioned information from memory 202, which
has been stored in memory 202 at a previous time, for example,
entered by a user via user device 204 during setup of the software
application that provides event monitoring for system 100. In
another embodiment, some of the information may be stored by
gateway 102 during an initialization of gateway 102 by a user at
premises 116. Processor may also retrieve from memory 202 contact
information (such as a telephone number, IP address, etc.) of a
preferred remote monitoring facility 108. This information can be
provided either by a user during initial setup of the software
application, or it may be pre-loaded as part of the software
application downloaded from an app store or the like. In one
embodiment, contact information of a plurality of remote monitoring
facilities are pre-loaded as part of the software application
download. Then, during initial setup of the software application, a
user may select which remote monitoring facility the user would
like to contact in case the user fails to respond to an indication
provided by personal communication device 106. The user may be
queried to enter additional personal information after selection of
this step, for example to provide the user's name, address, and
billing information to the selected remote monitoring facility.
When the user is finished entering this information, it may be
transmitted by transceiver 206 to the selected remote monitoring
facility so that an account may be set up for the user. Thereafter,
the selected monitoring facility will respond to signals sent by
personal communication device 106. In yet another embodiment, after
the user has selected a remote monitoring facility, the user may be
connected to a website associated with the selected monitoring
facility in order to set up an account with the selected monitoring
facility, where the user provides personal information and billing
information to the selected monitoring facility.
[0043] In any case, at block 322, the message is formatted into a
certain type of message, such as an email, text message, or an
audible message, including, for example, DTMF tones associated with
well-known alarm code transmission protocols used by traditional
home security panels capable of communicating with remote
monitoring facilities. The message is transmitted to remote
monitoring facility 108 via transceiver 206 and one or more
wireless networks 112 and/or wide-area networks 110, using
techniques well known in the art. The message is generally
additionally formatted in accordance with one or more transmission
standards in accordance with the type of transmission, i.e., voice
communication, voice-over-IP, IP based, cellular voice, etc. In one
embodiment, the message is transmitted to an intermediary entity
capable of receiving cellular-based data communications and
converting the cellular-based message into a format that is
acceptable to remote monitoring facility 108, for example, DTMF
tones. In another embodiment, the DTMF tones are transmitted
directly to remote monitoring facility 108 via a cellular voice
channel.
[0044] If DTMF tones are used to transmit information to remote
monitoring facility 108, processor 200 may be configured to provide
CID Handshake and Kissoff tone detection and generation. A CID
handshake involves a particular tone sequence that is produced by
remote monitoring facility 108 (or intermediate third party). The
purpose of the CID handshake is to signal processor 200 that a
communication channel is ready, for example, a cellular voice
channel (the CID handshake is traditionally used by home monitoring
systems communicating via a POTS telephone network). The handshake
tone sequence is emitted by remote monitoring facility 108 after
going off-hook and delaying an interval of at least 0.5 seconds but
typically no greater than 2.0 seconds. This time allows the
cellular network connection to "settle" before the communication
process begins. In addition, processor 200 may have the ability to
detect the "Kissoff Tone" from remote monitoring facility 108. The
Kissoff Tone is used to tell processor 200 that a message has been
received successfully. The frequency of the tone is typically 1400
Hz and is typically transmitted for a minimum of 750 msec. In this
way, personal communication device 106 mimics a traditional, home
security panel that is capable of communicating with remote
monitoring systems via DTMF tones over a traditional POTS
network.
[0045] At block 324, the message is received by remote monitoring
facility 108 and is typically routed to an employee of the remote
monitoring facility for analysis. Information of the event is
typically displayed on a digital display monitor, showing
information about the event such as the identification information
of monitoring system 100/gateway 102 that generated an alarm
signal, an event type, an identification of the sensor that
detected the event, a sensor serial number, a "zone" indicating
which portion of premises 116 the event occurred, an address where
the event occurred, and/or contact information of one or more
persons to call in case of any event, or in particular events.
Additionally, or alternatively, remote monitoring facility 108
matches at least some of the information contained in the message
provided by personal communication device 106, such as an account
number, gateway/system identification number, and/or user name,
with information stored in a database, where a database record
corresponding to at least some of the information may be provided
to the employee. For example, an account record may be stored in a
database by remote monitoring facility 108 that contains contact
information of one or more persons associated with the account
matching at least some of the information contained within the
signal provided by personal communication device 106. This
information could be displayed to the employee so that the employee
would be able to contact one or more persons by telephone, text,
email, or other means, to ascertain the gravity of the event, and
whether to dispatch authorities to premises 116.
[0046] At block 326, remote monitoring facility 108 may transmit an
acknowledgement message to personal communication device 106,
indicating that the signal had been successfully received, and
perhaps other information, such as the time of successful
reception, the name of an employee who evaluated the signal from
personal communication device 106, a description of any actions
that may have been taken by the employee, and/or contact
information pertaining to persons or entities associated with the
action(s) taken, such as a telephone number of a responding police
or fire department.
[0047] In one embodiment, the acknowledgement message may take the
form of a voice communication from remote monitoring facility 108
to personal communication device 106, so that an employee at remote
monitoring facility 108 may obtain additional details from the user
of personal communication device 106. The voice communication may
comprise a traditional phone call from the employee, using the
telephone number assigned to personal communication device 106. The
telephone number assigned to personal communication device 106 may
have been transmitted in the message to remote monitoring facility
108, or it may have been provided to the employee as a result of
account information provided to the employee as a result of
matching identification information in the message to an account
stored in a database by remote monitoring facility 108. In another
embodiment, a voice call is initiated using DTMF tones generated by
remote monitoring facility 108 and personal communication device
106. For example, processor 200 may include an alarm code in the
message transmitted to remote monitoring facility 108 at block 322,
indicating a desire to open a voice communication with remote
monitoring facility 108 (or an intermediate third party). For
example, event code 606 is designated as a "Listen to follow"
instruction used in the Ademco contact ID reporting methodology.
When remote monitoring facility 108 receives this code, it knows
that a reporting entity wishes to open a communication channel with
remote monitoring facility 108. Traditionally, the reporting entity
is a home monitoring system. However, this embodiment, the
reporting entity is personal communication device 106.
[0048] Processor 200 may establish a voice communication with
remote monitoring facility 108 using, for example, CID handshake
tones. Processor 200 may enable user interface 204 to allow voice
communications, such as enabling a microphone and speaker
circuitry. Thereafter, the employee at remote monitoring facility
108 may speak to the user of personal communication device 106. At
some point, the user may wish to terminate the voice communication
by operating user interface 204 which, in turn, provides an
electrical signal to processor 200 recognized as a desire to
terminate the voice communication. Processor 200 may terminate the
voice communication by transmitting a Kissoff Tone to remote
monitoring facility 108.
[0049] The methods or algorithms described in connection with the
embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware
or embodied in processor-readable instructions executed by a
processor. The processor-readable instructions may reside in RAM
memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory,
registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form
of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is
coupled to the processor such that the processor can read
information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In
the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the
processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an
ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative,
the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete
components.
[0050] Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention may comprise a
computer-readable media embodying code or processor-readable
instructions to implement the teachings, methods, processes,
algorithms, steps and/or functions disclosed herein.
[0051] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative
embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various
changes and modifications could be made herein without departing
from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in
accordance with the embodiments of the invention described herein
need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore,
although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in
the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the
singular is explicitly stated.
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